Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Wine Guide
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one of the oldest and most prestigious wines of Tuscany, produced with the grapes of a particular Sangiovese clone which in Montepulciano takes the name of Prugnolo Gentile, due to the distinct scent of plum that it grants to wine.
Like all the great Tuscan (red) wines, it derives from the bond that has been created over the centuries between Sangiovese and terroir. The producers are not too many and the original production area has not been expanded beyond measure, even if it has been enjoying great prestige since the Renaissance.
Its secret is the soil: an alternation of sands and clays that, when mixed, create ideal conditions for producing structure wines, perfumed, but with fine tannins. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a DOCG wine, a wine with a controlled designation of origin, the highest recognition in the Italian wine.
Organoleptic characteristics of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a fine, full-bodied wine with an intense bouquet of plums, cherries, olives, violets, herbaceous and earthy notes.
What does Vino Nobile taste like?
The freshness is lively, the fruit is warm and smooth, the tannins are intense, but sculpted by long aging in wood. If you visit the cellars around Montepulciano, you will notice that the Nobile di Montepulciano is a balsamic wine, characterized by earthy and undergrowth notes, however, it is not mineral and austere like Brunello di Montalcino. You will recognize it for the softness of the tannins and the classic plum suggestions.
History of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
In Montepulciano the art of producing wine dates back to Etruscan times, nevertheless, it is only in 1530 that we hear about the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for the first time. In the same years Sante Lancerio, the legendary “bottigliere” (aka personal sommelier and wine shopper) of Pope Paul III, who traveled all around Italy to discover the best wines to serve at the papal dinner table, describes the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as “Perfectissimo” (Super perfect) and if he says so we trust him.
Where is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano produced?
The production area is a small enclave of 670 hectares and covers almost the entire municipality of Montepulciano, south of Siena.
Disciplinary: which vines are used to produce Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is composed of a minimum of 70% Sangiovese, Prugnolo Gentile, to which usually Canaiolo is added, for a maximum of 20%, and Mammolo, which adds an intriguing floral component, especially of violet. The aging in wood is long — 26 months and 38 for the Vino Nobile Riserva — but necessary to give this wine, with a great polyphenolic charge, to round off its edges and develop ethereal aromas. The aging potential easily reaches 15 years and indeed it is advisable to wait for at least 6-7 before opening a respectable Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano food pairings
The Nobile is a carnivorous wine that gives its best with red meat, grilled meat, stew, Texan brisket, game and foods rich in sweet spices such as cloves and cinnamon, paella, lamb kebabs, gnocchi with Bolognese, hamburgers, baked lasagna, truffle risotto, pasta Amatriciana. Excellent with Pienza pecorino and aged cheeses; to try with a lamb tajine with plums and lamb and dried fruit preparations. And let’s not underestimate the vegetarian preparations based on eggplant, radicchio.
Serving temperature of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
The Nobile is a tannic wine, complex and endowed with an enveloping bouquet that deserves a temperature of 16-18 degrees to be enhanced. For more mature bottles, raise the temperature by a couple of degrees.